


the ball is in your court.

by lessiknowthebetter



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, Angst and Humor, Attorney!Chan, Changbin and Chan are rivals, Courtroom Drama, Crimes & Criminals, Drama, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Graphic Description of Corpses, Juror!Hyunjin, Legal Drama, M/M, Murder, Murder Mystery, Paralegal!Felix, Press and Tabloids, Prosecutor!Changbin, Secret Affair, Secret Relationship, Sexual Tension, Smut, a skz legal drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:35:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29541756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lessiknowthebetter/pseuds/lessiknowthebetter
Summary: During a tense murder trial that has the nation's eyes set on him, young prosecutor Changbin finds himself caught up in an affair with mesmerizing jury member Hyunjin.
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin
Comments: 9
Kudos: 53





	1. voir dire.

**Author's Note:**

> \- first floor, room 16.
> 
> author's note: just a quick disclaimer, none of this is an accurate representation of any legal system. the following chapters won't necessarily be in chronological order as more of the murder case gets explored but dates will be stated to avoid confusion.

**July 19th, Voir dire - Jury Selection day**

"Congrats on finalizing your divorce, man." There comes a hand at Changbin's shoulder, and then a pat, firm and painstakingly _provoking_.

At his side Bang Chan appears, an attorney of whom he knows to have graduated from some prestigious law school in Australia and is now part of a well-known law firm.

Changbin clicks his tongue and tightens his grip around the handle of his briefcase, turning his head away from the attorney.

"Not today, Chan." Using his free hand, the prosecutor rids himself off Chan's hand at his shoulder and steps ahead towards the courtroom.

Changbin mutters out a whole plethora of curses under his breath as he paces through the long hallways of the courthouse, his loose robe flowing at his ankles.

His relationship with Chan is _complicated_ to say the least. At the start of his career, the two of them got along fine and mostly saw eye to eye in regard to the cases they worked on together. They even used to meet at bars at the end of long and exhausting days at court, often downing a couple of beers together. However, overtime, Chan increasingly got assigned to defending the individuals Changbin was trying to prosecute and he also, increasingly kept winning. Failures were stacking up on him at a high rate and all at the same time Changbin was going through a difficult divorce.

After entering the courtroom, Changbin hurriedly takes his position behind the microphone stand and exchanges quick greetings with the judge at his side through the mutual nods of their heads. 

Gripping onto both sides of the pilared stand in front of him, Changbin studies the room and each of the individuals in it as a way of trying to get a first impression of the jury pool. Like always, it’s a diverse mix of people of all ages that have been selected at random. 

Changbin eyes the prints that lie before him, profiles with basic information of the jury pool members that kind of resemble resumes, and attempts to match them with the people sitting in the jury box on the side of the courtroom. 

Chan also finally enters the courtroom in his snazzy suit and is followed by his small paralegal who constantly trailed his every move, his entire aura leaking confidence up until he makes it to the defendant's table. Dropping his briefcase right on top, he clicks it open and pulls out a notepad along with heaps of other paperwork. He’s obviously come prepared. 

His paralegal Felix, a graduate from the same renowned law-school Chan attended, quietly takes his seat at the table and fixes the microphone in front of him to reach at the correct height of his mouth.

Felix then sends a polite smile Changbin’s way which the prosecutor forcibly returns. He thinks they make a real pair of snobs together, although Felix never really spoke much unless it was to Chan and thus he doesn’t actually know him that well. 

Changbin decides he doesn’t have much to ask the juror pool, trusts his case against the accused to be solid so he lets Chan tire himself out in front of the jury box and watches closely like it’s a TV drama.

Chan really takes his time presenting his obvious carefully prepared questions in an attempt to determine the jurors' eligibility to help judge the case. It’s all a matter of finding out any possible biases that the jurors might have which could get in the way of a fair judgement and being the strong attorney that he is, Changbin trusts Chan to ask the right things.

“Have you or any family member or close friend ever been the victim of a violent crime, whether it was reported to law enforcement or not?” 

Several answers ring and Changbin pays close attention, penning down notes at the top of the jurors’ profiles. 

Chan pauses, pondering on what to ask next while Felix is still taking notes at his laptop’s keyboard. He moves on after Felix gives him the cue to continue. “Ladies and gentlemen, I must stress that indictment is not evidence of guilt. It is but a charging document. Would the fact that the defendant has been arrested and indicted, and is to be court facing these charges, cause you to have preconceived opinions on the defendant’s guilt or innocence?” 

Changbin listens carefully, particularly interested in the pool’s reaction to this one question. Although in its essence, the question could be considered counterproductive once one considers his concern of prosecuting the accused but, Changbin preferred to have a fair trial with a jury that’s capable of making ethical decisions.

So with a sense of relief, he notes that no juror confessed to having any issues along the lines of preconceived opinions. 

Due to Chan’s excessive list of questions towards the jury which he intervals with several successful jokes that have literally everyone in the room but Changbin laughing, the interrogative process ends up taking around two hours. 

He’s about to wrap things up when suddenly one of the jurors raises his hand. Changbin speaks into his microphone. “Yes?” 

“Yes, I have a question for attorney Bang. Or maybe, for the judge. I mean for...Your Honor.” 

Changbin lets out a sigh at being dismissed like this and settles back to search through the profiles for this particular jury member. He finds his profile soon enough and learns the boy is twenty-two-year old student Hwang Hyunjin. 

Something Chan also apparently seems to know already. “Go ahead, Mr. Hwang.” He’s got that sleazy Hollywood smile going on but it seems to work on Hyunjin who just happily grins back at him while he shifts in his seat for a moment. 

“Just like, how long do you reckon this trial will take? And how about compensation? I don’t think I'm the only one wondering about this.” Hyunjin asks, crafting all sorts of gestures with his hands while he speaks. He turns himself towards some of the other jurors sitting behind him in the second row, raising his shoulders questioningly. “Right?”

It’s not entirely unusual for a juror to start asking questions like these but something about Hyunjin’s delivery draws a quiet laughter out of Changbin and unintentionally, right into his mic. Scraping his throat, he attempts to cover it up when Hyunjin gives him a funny look. He even makes sure to pat at his throat to really finish off the act and have it seem believable. 

“Unfortunately, I can’t provide any estimation for the duration of the trial. But for your service you will be provided with compensation, of course. May I ask if you think you’re not fit to perform your duty for the entire trial?” Chan asks, sharp minded. 

“Oh, no! I’m totally free.” Hyunjin assures him, waving his hands out in front of his chest as if to show it was all just a misunderstanding. 

Chan’s dazzling smile returns at his lips, his signature dimple that’s as deep as a crater appearing while he brings his hands together. “Great! Any other questions?” 

The jury doesn’t raise any more questions so Chan decides they’re finally done. 

“Thank you all for patiently sitting through this session. We shall now begin selecting the final twelve members that will make out the jury. For those who will be selected, we will later provide another explanation on what exactly will be expected of you during the trial.”

The jury pool slowly filters out of the courtroom and along with them their chatter dies down until it’s completely silent.

Changbin hops out of his stand and walks over to the judge’s bench with his notes tucked away under his arm. 

Soon, Chan and his pet paralegal also make it to the judge, ready to get to business. 

“Good to see you again.” Changbin sneers at Chan, leaning over to rest his arms up on the judge’s bench from where he makes sure to glare at the attorney. 

Chan apparently decides to ignore Changbin’s petty attempt at pissing him off and starts discussing details with the judge instead. Felix on the other hand, takes a glance at Changbin, folding some of his long hair behind his ear. 

Sometimes, Changbin thinks he should hit on Felix for the sole purpose of getting Chan especially offended as he knows him to be rather protective of the younger. As of now, however, he still had no intention to involve Felix in this cheap battle of their fragile egos . Although, he suspects the paralegal might actually be quite welcoming towards any advances coming from Changbin if he had to tell by the way Felix would sometimes look at him. 

“For juror number one, we have Mister Han. What do you say, defense?” The judge asks, pulling Changbin out of his trail of thought. 

Chan and Felix simultaneously inch towards each other to exchange a few whispers before the attorney turns back to face the judge. “We accept, Your Honor.”

“Any peremptories from the state?” 

“None, Your Honor. We also accept.” Changbin replies sternly. 

“Alright. Then we have mister Lee.” The judge moves on to the next juror on the list.

“Yeah, we’ll be excusing that one for cause, Your Honor.” Chan answers first and Felix vigorously nods from behind him. 

“For what exactly?” The judge asks him while taking off her glasses and folding them in her hands, familiar with the attorney’s antics.

“For being creepy and old.” Chan states firmly while tapping at the bench with his knuckles.

“That’s not exactly good reasoning.” Changbin tries his best keeping a straight face, reminding himself he’s supposed to be angry with the attorney and thus that he can’t laugh at the things he says, no matter how funny. 

“Whatever, I'm using my strike on him.”

“Fine. Mr. Hwang?” The judge continues, now asking about the wordy student’s status as a juror. 

While side-eying Chan and Felix, Changbin tries to make out their verdict on Hyunjin while they return to whispering, feeling especially interested in the fate of this juror for some reason. 

“Okay, we accept.” Felix states their decision this time and the judge nods at him in approval. 

“So does the state.” Changbin adds and they continue deciding over the rest of the fifteen jurors like this until they have successfully selected the final twelve for the actual trial. 

_°_

With his robe folded over his arm and briefcase held tightly in hand, Changbin once again trods through the courthouse after being dismissed from the jury selection. He’s feeling better about the entire situation now that they were done with selecting the final jury _and_ now that Chan was ultimately out of his sight. All that is left to do is to go to trial, and let justice prevail. 

Before leaving the courthouse and starting his lengthy commute home, he decides to visit the restroom first. 

He greets a few familiar faces on the way, more attorneys and lawyers, the occasional police officer, guards and even a senior judge before he finally makes it to the restrooms near the entrance. 

Putting his briefcase down onto the floor and positioning his robe over it, his hands start to work on unbuttoning his pants. Changbin then takes the liberty of relieving himself in the urinal when suddenly Chan walks in and swiftly unbuckles his belt before walking towards the urinal next to his own.

Chan, being Chan, takes a quick peek over at Changbin’s direction. “Sup, limp dick.”

Changbin keeps his eyes ahead of himself and his jaw clenched, then sighs out. “I'm literally pissing right now, why on earth would I need to be hard?”

“Dunno, maybe from seeing me? In this Valentino suit.” Chan laughs, twisting his body just a little to the side as if to show off his outfit.

“Funny how you think I give a shit about you or your fucking Valentino suit.” The prosecutor neatly shoves his length back into his boxers and reaches to flush.

After the flushing sound of his and Chan's urinals disappears into thin air, Changbin turns to face the attorney and begins stepping closer to effectively trap him into a corner. Ready to unleash all of the irritation that had steadily built up within him while the day progressed, Changbin shoves at the other’s shoulder. 

“Are you seriously trying to get under my skin by actively taking on clients I’m trying to accuse? Do you realize by doing this that you’re literally securing freedom to criminals?!” The prosecutor snaps, raising a threatening finger at the other while glaring up at him.

The attorney, seemingly unfazed by Changbin’s aggression, simply wriggles away from the corner until the other is no longer hovering over him. “Excuse me? How are they criminals if they haven’t been prosecuted?” Chan shoots back at him while nonchalantly fixing his ‘ _casual’_ bed hair look in the mirror of which the shorter knows he actually spends way too long styling in the morning. 

Now, how Changbin came to find out about this piece of information is far beside the point.

“You know me. My cases are tight.” Changbin crosses his arms as he sidles up next to the attorney.

“I wouldn’t keep winning all the time if they were really that tight, Changbin. Anyway, it’s your own fault for always involving yourself in these high-profile cases.” Chan starts while eyeing at Changbin through the mirror, still tugging away at some stray strands of his hair. 

“You, of all people, should know that’s where the money is. And I, my dear friend, only follow the cash.” The attorney continues, moving over towards the sink.

Changbin follows and they each pause their argument to finish off washing their hands. 

Then Chan’s hands find their way to his shoulders again as the attorney faces him with a deep frown on his face. “Take my advice, Changbin. You’ve been slacking ever since the divorce, it’s time you take a step back. For yourself primarily, I’m getting really worried about you.”

Changbin can only scoff at the audacity of it all, throwing his head back in an attempt to pull himself together. But it’s almost impossible to conceal his anger when the other begins to mockingly pat at his suit with this infuriatingly fake look of concern on his face. 

“Oh yeah?” Changbin fumes, pushing the attorney, who he once considered to be his friend, off of himself. “Start worrying about your fucking self for when you lose this case later, you dick.” 

With that, he storms off, leaving Chan behind. 

**July 27th, Night after the first hearing, Shilla hotel bar.**

Changbin isn’t exactly sure how all of it had happened. After the first hearing in court, his stress levels had already risen beyond control, so he allowed himself a visit to the bar of a nearby hotel.

Realistically, he could have expected to run into a juror there, but that wouldn’t necessarily have been a problem if it had just been literally any juror other than Hwang Hyunjin. 

But luck hadn’t exactly been on Changbin’s side lately, and when he accidentally sat down next to Hyunjin at the bar, he still had no clue what the future would soon hold for him. 

_°_

His entrance into the lounge bar is introduced and supported by the smooth, cool jazz that plays in the background.

It definitely sets the mood for the night and something about the electrifying timbre puts Changbin in new high spirits as he feels his steps lighten with each one he takes over to the stretched out bar. 

He makes eye contact with the bartender while he sits down on a tall stool and he drums his hands at the countertop just to keep himself busy. 

The bartender comes to take his order after a while of chatting with the only other customer at the other end of the bar. Changbin would be lying if he were to say he doesn’t immediately recognize the other even after only seeing his back and honestly, he really should take his leave. 

He doesn’t go anywhere, though. Changbin orders himself a whiskey instead and when it arrives, it comes served with a side of regret because Hyunjin spins around in his seat and instantly spots him.

“Oh my god,” comes Hyunjin’s surprise and he lifts his hands to cover his mouth which had presumably dropped open. “You’re the prosecutor!” 

“Fuck,” he wraps his slim fingers around his Cosmopolitan and lets out a breathy chuckle. “I’m going to be in trouble, right?” 

Hyunjin looks incredibly guilty, like Changbin had just caught him committing a serious felony. It’s a little amusing, considering that if any of them were to get in trouble, it definitely wouldn’t be Hyunjin. 

Changbin shakes his head and his lips curve into a friendly smile. He still doesn’t leave.

“You’ll be fine,” Changbin assures him. “As long as we don’t discuss the trial.” 

“So we can chat, then?”

_No._

“Sure.” Changbin nods. 

“Great!” Hyunjin beams as he hops on over to sit himself down on the barstool next to Changbin’s. 

“Because I’ve been feeling kind of lonely.” Hyunjin confesses while settling in his seat, lifting one of his legs over the other. 

Changbin merely hums in reply, he doesn’t know how to react. Alarm bells on high alert begin to ring in his head and ears, he knows he’s fucked up.

He reaches for his glass and takes a hefty sip, his throat burning uncomfortably as the liquid glides down his throat. 

Wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand, he sets his glass down in front of him on the counter. 

“Already? Trial’s going to take a while, I think.” Changbin begins the conversation he felt urged on to start by the way Hyunjin was silently staring him down from the side. 

“Does that not count as discussing the case?” Hyunjin asks, propping himself up on his elbow. 

Briefly, Changbin wordlessly stares at the way Hyunjin’s cheek gets adorably squished by the palm he’s leaning in against and he thinks about how it almost makes his question less annoying. 

“No.” Changbin tries to sound firm, but he knows he’s faltering. 

Especially when Hyunjin just grins at him in a way that’s both sly and attractive and Changbin honestly doesn’t know how he does it. He also can’t, for the life of him, wrap his head around on why it lures him in so. 

They don’t say anything else until Hyunjin helps himself to the last sip of his Cosmo of which he quickly requests another one. 

“So, what’s your name? I’m assuming you already know mine.” 

“It’s Changbin.” 

“Changbin.” Hyunjin softly repeats as if he’s underlining the name in his head.

“That’s right.” He nods before gulping down the rest of his drink, putting the empty glass right down on the counter. While watching the single ice cube drop back in place at the bottom of his emptied drink, Changbin remembers Hyunjin had wanted to chat. 

After waving the bartender over and notifying him he would like a refill, Changbin purses his lips in thought while he searches for a conversation starter in the crevices of his mind. 

“You’re a student right?” He starts off with a real safe conversation piece to be sure their chat won’t lead back to the case. “What’s your major?” 

“Ah.” Hyunjin hums and crosses his arms and something about his behavior strikes Changbin as if the younger had already expected the question. Not that it was that out of place. 

“I dropped out.. or well, I’m about to switch majors. Feeling like taking my life into another direction.” While Hyunjin speaks his hands are also at work, emphasising his every word. 

Intrigued, Changbin is about to ask what the student was thinking of changing his major into. 

Hyunjin, however, doesn’t give him the chance for when he lightly nudges at his arm and continues his talk. “Okay, you caught me! So I stopped going to classes while I didn’t register out of my course yet just so I can still receive student benefits.”

“God, you were looking at me like you were going to start prosecuting me for it! It’s like you can see right through me!” The younger then blurts out and he reaches to cover his face, shaking his head. 

Changbin just mutely blinks ahead in response, taken by surprise at Hyunjin’s sudden confession. He looks around the entire bar, feeling like a camera crew recording some prank show is about to enter in at any second, ready to make him out for the terrible prosecutor he is. When nothing comes though, he allows himself to laugh. 

“What?!” He wholeheartedly cackles out. “Why’d you think I had any clue about that?” 

“Don’t worry, I don’t think you’re breaking any rules.”

Hyunjin peeks out at him through his opened fingers. “Really?” 

“Uh, yeah? Changbin nods, still feeling a little baffled while he lazily rubs at one of his brows. 

“Fuck,” Hyunjin brushes the strands of hair off of his forehead as he straightens in his seat. “Just forget everything I said, then.” 

“Don’t bring it up to the Ministry of Education,” Changbin inhales as he speaks and taps at one of his temples a few times as if he were taking a mental note. “Got it.” 

For a while, Hyunjin just watches him while poking his tongue at the inside of his cheek. Changbin doesn’t say anything about it, he knows he looks good, and instead just lets the other take him in for as long as he wishes. 

“Moving along.” Hyunjin pauses and crosses his arms over his chest, then says, “What have you been up to lately, Changbin?” 

“Can’t say I’ve been up to much,” Changbin shrugs as he speaks. “Just got divorced.” 

He’s not sure why he’s brought it up, the mention of his divorce instantly killing the mood as Hyunjin falls silent.

Originally, it seemed like an honest update of his life but now he feels like he’s just put the younger in an awkward position by telling him. 

Hyunjin momentarily freezes, his mouth opened like he’s about to start speaking and Changbin quickly wants to apologize but then the younger grabs for his glass and lifts it up high above their heads. 

“Well shit, cheers to that then!” Hyunjin hurriedly gestures for Changbin to pick up his own drink by nudging his elbow at Changbin’s side. 

At first he’s left speechless by the younger’s abrupt cheerfulness in relation to his misery but then Changbin realizes that this is the first time he’s gone out since finalizing the entire mess of a divorce so he decides to just _fucking_ let go and clinks his glass against Hyunjin’s. “Cheers.” 

Hyunjin chuckles when he accidentally ends up spilling some of his drink on Changbin’s white dress shirt at the impact of their cheering. “Crap, sorry.” 

Changbin lowers his head to inspect the stain and the contrast of the hot pink fluid against his pearly shirt is honestly an eyesore but can’t bring himself to be upset about it, not when Hyunjin’s laughter is nothing short of infectious. 

Snorting, Changbin picks up a napkin from the counter and begins wiping at his shirt. “It’s okay.” 

Still, Hyunjin looks apologetic with his lower lip caught tightly in between his teeth. “Here let me.” 

Their hands brush when Hyunjin reaches to take the napkin from him and although it’s the absolute briefest of touches, it sends a shiver right down Changbin’s spine. It’s officially confirmed that he’s pathetically touch starved when Changbin finds himself gulping while Hyunjin wipes away at the stain. 

Up close, Changbin lets his eyes roam over Hyunjin’s features and he comes to the conclusion that the expression the younger takes on when he’s focused is absolutely charming.

Wetting his dry lips, Changbin wonders if he’s just imagining the change in atmosphere. 

“I think I’m just making it worse…” Hyunjin says carefully and although he stops rubbing at the prosecutor’s shirt, his hand remains at his chest and his other hand soon follows. 

Changbin swallows, thick and dry when their gazes meet and Hyunjin trails his hands down his chest all the way to his waist. 

“I think...,” Hyunjin takes in a deep, staggered breath. “I can try and fix that in my room.”

When he exhales it comes out just as falteringly and by now he’s leaned in so close, their lips almost touching, that Changbin swears he can taste hints of cranberry. 

_“Yeah?”_

_°_

“Shit.” 

Changbin lets himself drop back onto the bed with a loud thud. His hands shooting up to grab at his head and he slaps at both of his own cheeks before running a hand through his hair. The slide is remarkably effortless, and he figures most of the product he used to slick his fringe back in the morning must have worn out during the _extracurricular activities_ he just engaged in. 

Let’s just say Hyunjin didn’t exactly go easy on him. 

“Look away for just a second will you.” Hyunjin requests before slipping out of the bed and using the dense blanket to cover himself. 

“I was literally inside of you up until like five minutes ago.” Chanbin argues but he gives in easily, turning around to face the college student with his back. Propping himself up on his elbow, Changbin takes a moment to scroll through his email inbox, lying stark naked in the bed of Hyunjin’s hotel room.

The room’s average at best, nothing special and Changbin feels bad for the other for having to stay locked up in it for seemingly at least a couple of weeks to come. “You done yet?”

“No.” 

He can hear the heavy blanket drop to the floor and then some more movement on Hyunjin’s end until the younger is suddenly at his side of the bed. Hyunjin hovers over him briefly, simply checking him out from above wearing the hotel’s complimentary bathrobe. The split second eye-contact they share is enough motivation for the prosecutor to throw his phone away off to the side. 

Once it’s landed somewhere on the mattress, Hyunjin crawls up on top of him to settle in between his legs of which Changbin leisurely hooks one around the taller’s waist. 

Hyunjin shamelessly plants a prolonged kiss at Changbin’s lips which the older eagerly returns, his hand coming up to hold his jaw as he does so. His plush lips feel so unbelievably soft against Changbin’s mouth that he can’t help but to grin in the kiss and pull the younger closer.

It seems to encourage Hyunjin on since he soon feels his wet tongue probing at his lips, seeking entrance. Physically unable to deny such a welcome request from the younger, Changbin readily responds by parting his lips only to have Hyunjin pulling away from him while dragging his tongue all over the prosecutor’s cheek. 

“What the-” Changbin reaches to feel at the now slick side of his face. 

“Ssh.” Hyunjin cuts him off with a chuckle and an index finger pressing at his mouth. 

“Just felt like doing that.” He full on beams at the older, feeling bashful. 

As if driven by instinct, Changbin finds himself sliding his arms around the younger before he even realizes what he’s doing. Now that he’s holding him, he decides to squeeze his lithe frame over the terrycloth of his bathrobe. 

“Oh my god,” Hyunjin rolls his eyes back while letting out another loud chortle. “Don’t get mushy on me now.”

“Don’t you have to leave, or something?” He asks, wriggling to try and escape from Changbin’s hold.

Changbin only squeezes tighter, flexing his biceps around him. “What time is it?” 

“Let me see...” Hyunjin struggles to grab for the prosecutor’s phone. After pressing at the home button and spotting a picture of a statue of Lady Justice set as the older’s background, he frowns. “It’s 5:49.” 

“Yeah, I should leave.” Changbin excuses himself after releasing Hyunjin and steps out of bed to collect his belongings, most of them sporadically left all over the floor. 

He spots his boxers first and closest to the bed, having taken those off the last. Folding over, he quickly steps into them before picking up the final pieces that made up his outfit yesterday. 

He doesn’t pay Hyunjin much attention while he finishes dressing up and gathering the last of his items and thus he doesn’t notice that the younger is still staring at his lockscreen. Standing still beside the nightstand, Changbin busies himself trying to clasp his watch around his wrist. 

After succeeding, he takes a final look around the room before asking, “Have you seen my phone?” 

There follows no response but the trajectory of his gaze eventually lands on Hyunjin which is where he finds his phone, still held in the student’s hands. 

“Will you come see me here again?” Hyunjin questions him, although faintly it sounds more like a plea. Lifting his head, he wordlessly hands over the phone which Changbin takes while wearing a frown. 

For some reason his chest feels heavy.

“I probably shouldn’t.”

**July 28th, Prosecutors’ Office**

When Changbin enters the Prosecutors’ Office early in the morning, guilt is officially high on his mind.

He keeps his head low while passing through the building because with each look and greeting directed towards him, he can’t help but wonder if they all know. He's almost convinced that they’re all aware of his affairs as he feels like he could literally shrivel up and die while under their watchful eyes.

Of course he knows that these people aren’t actually aware of what had happened. How could they be? No one was tailing Changbin. But somehow, it still very much feels like everyone in the office has found out that Changbin is a dirty, perverted and unethical man who should not be allowed to practice law.

At the coffee machine, he miserably lets the machine prepare him a weak espresso, which he later picks up with the same agony.

While sipping at the terrible tasting, watered down coffee that somehow miraculously still managed to always wake him up, he makes his way over to his private office.

Shortly, he thinks about how Humans are wonderfully complex beings in that their emotions can literally alter at the fastest rate, even within the blink of an eye. Just last night, Changbin was on a high and feeling the best he has in months, having had multiple rounds of possibly the greatest sex of his life with sabbatical student Hwang Hyunjin.

Hell, they even had brilliant conversation. Hyunjin has a great, insightful and creative mind that got him beyond intrigued in the other. 

Changbin found out about this during the breaks they took in between rounds and spent talking. Keen to learn more about the younger, he finally asked Hyunjin how he came about changing his major. Apparently, Hyunjin had a sudden change of heart while volunteering for a political campaign over winter break that led to him deciding that advertising just wasn’t for him. 

To avoid making any reckless decisions though, Hyunjin decided against immediately dropping out and instead started taking electives on political science until he felt sure that this new direction was something he should be doing. 

Now that he’s absolutely sure, Hyunjin is just waiting to re-enroll into the political science department. 

Originally, Changbin was surprised to learn that Hyunjin was this concerned with his future and that he’s normally a very careful person. He was also just blown away by his intellect. 

But then he couldn’t help but to laugh at the irony of it all as he told the younger that if he’d end up becoming a politician and their affair would one day come to light, it would seriously be all the more scandalous. 

Hyunjin had just shut him up by kissing him an Changbin was oh so very gone. 

“Fucking hell.” Changbin curses to himself while passing another conference room. 

Had this been any other situation, in which Changbin wasn't a prosecutor and Hyunjin wasn't a juror for his case, he probably would have asked the younger out.

When Changbin finally makes it to the door of his office, he frustratedly bangs his fist at the wooden surface for a few times before pressing his face up against the small window.

Groaning, he tries to figure out why he hadn't just excused Hyunjin from the jury. He didn't even end up using one of his strikes during the selection, letting Chan do most of the work. 

All of a sudden the door to his office swings open from the inside, causing Changbin to almost fall over into the room if it weren’t for Seungmin catching him just in time. 

“What the hell are you doing standing moping outside of the door?” Seungmin, his own paralegal, asks while frowning, obviously confused by his superior’s odd behavior. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Stepping past the assistant prosecutor, as his official job title describes him, Changbin casually straightens his tie before sitting down in his hair. “Right, what’s up?” 

“It’s time we start discussing witnesses.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yes this is basically a SKZ legal dramedy. if you're reading this then i want to thank you for checking out this first chapter!! i hope you enjoyed it and be sure to check out my other fics as well! 
> 
> support through kudos and comments is always appreciated! i'm especially curious to know how people feel about this fic! !
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/dwaekkibaragi)


	2. flames to dust.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- lovers to friends

**July 18th, outside of MH Legal Co.**

"Thanks for dropping me off." Doona says while getting out of the car right after Changbin had courteously opened the passenger side door for her.

They spent the entire morning at court and while this wasn't unusual for either of them, it was the first time that the both of them had been on the opposite side of things. Never in his life, had Changbin expected to be faced with a judge and have them be responsible for deciding his own fate. 

The process of their divorce had gone smooth enough, especially considering their initial break-up was anything but pretty. Despite the fact that things were running smoothly and Changbin and Doona had signed all sorts of settlement agreements early on, they still had their final divorce hearing left to attend. 

But now that the hearing has ended too, leaving behind the entire process, Changbin is officially a divorced man. 

Changbin and his ex-wife come to face each other outside of the law-firm where Doona's still an active junior attorney. They first met while on the job and now having to leave her here like this, despite already having been apart for quite some time, feels oddly bittersweet. 

“Well,” He breaks the suffocating silence, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his suit jacket. “This is it then, the end of an era.” 

Doona just smiles bitterly in response while reaching out to grab at the collar of Changbin's shirt, neatly straightening it out for him. 

The small gesture of affection causes his lips to break into a small smile as well. 

“I'm still so sorry for everything that happened.” She confesses, her fingers still fumbling at his collar. 

Changbin remains quiet, because what's an apology really worth if there's no regret? 

“Do you remember when we first met? We were just inexperienced, clumsy interns. You were so handsome, Changbin, and so full of life…” Her hands are at his face now, neatly painted nails caressing against his clean shaven skin.

“I really did love you, you know. I loved you so much, Seo Changbin.”

There's a pause and Changbin watches her anxiously nibble at her bottom lip. 

“Just not like I love him.”

Changbin drops his head, unable to keep meeting Doona's eyes. He will truly never understand what she sees in her new boyfriend, one of the senior partners at her firm. Insults rest at the tip of his tongue and he's tempted to start spewing them. Things like how the man's old enough to be her dad and how he only sees her as a trophy. But he's well aware that at this point, there's simply no use in bringing it up so he ultimately decides against it.

“I know, it's okay.” Changbin tells her while removing her hand from his face. “I'll see you around, in court or something.”

It is almost laughable how offended Doona looks at him when he initially shrugs her off but she obviously chooses not to act up on it, instead just taking a step back. They apparently have at least that much respect left for each other.

“Right, good luck on this upcoming trial.” Doona says, folding her arms across her abdomen. “I'll be rooting for you.”

“Thanks, Doona.”

Before he can protest, Doona pushes herself back up on her toes to press a final kiss at the corner of Changbin's lips.

To be touched by her after so long feels strangely familiar while simultaneously brand new and he'd be left stunned by it if it weren't for the overwhelming sadness of it all, weighing in heavy on his shoulders.

“Goodbye, Changbin.” 

His eyes are locked on her back as Doona disappears into the building, his feet feeling as if they're rooted deep into the ground until the image of her is finally out of his sight.

  
  


**February 4th, Prosecutors’ Office**

Seungmin storms into his office without prior warning like he does so often because out of all of his seniors, he disrespects Changbin’s authority the most. There’s a very simple explanation behind this, being that the two are more like brothers than colleagues, having bonded beyond expectation especially over the span of Changbin’s long divorce. 

And that is why Changbin doesn’t get upset when Seungmin frantically drops a heavy stack of paperwork and files right on his desk. 

“What’s this?” He asks, one of his brows raised in question while gesturing at the newspaper at the very top of the stack. 

“Read it, they want you assisting law enforcement with this one.” Seungmin points at the headline.

“Okay…” Changbin grabs for the newspaper and folds it open in his hands, his eyes instantly landing on the bold headline printed on the front page. 

  
  
  


**54 Year-Old Male Suspect Arrested for Yongsan Twin-Murders**

_Yongsan-Gu, Seoul_

The Yongsan Police Department has reportedly made their first arrest for the case of the gruesome double homicide of a set of twins that has recently gripped the entire nation. Since the turn of the year when two bodies were found in the northern bank of the Han River, law enforcement has been actively investigating this grim case. Though no identification of the twins has been revealed to the public, the Yongsan police department has stated through the means of a press conference that they have successfully made their first arrest in the case over the weekend. 

Since the investigation is still ongoing, the police have asked those who might have any tips on the case to come forward. Anonymous tips can be provided through the police hotline. 

  
  
  


After finishing the article, Changbin folds the newspaper closed and shoves it to the side while letting a deep exhale. He’s been very aware of the case though not only through his work. Changbin has seen discourse regarding the murder spread all over the media and knows that literally all of society, appaled by the extremeties, is concerned with the developments.

“Well, fuck.” The prosecutor’s hands surge up to rub his fingers against both of his temples, sensing an absolutely throbbing headache incoming at the realization that this might just end up being the biggest case of his career. 

“I can try to get you off the case?” Seungmin starts off cautiously, sitting himself down at the edge of Changbin’s desk. “I mean, everyone here knows you’ve been going through… _things_.”

Changbin painfully groans at the way the pity literally oozes through Seungmin’s statement and it sucks since he wasn’t expecting it from him. With literally hundreds of lawyers, prosecutors, officers and judges you’d expect rumors to not spread around as fast, but the world of law is a surprisingly small world and many people were well aware of Changbin’s recent misfortunes. Many even seemed to think he wasn’t noticing them talking about it behind his back, but he’s heard about it all, from his divorce to his rivaling dispute with Chan. 

Changbin had become a conversation piece and he hated it sure, but he was going to show them later. Still, to hear it from Seungmin, his friend who should know that Changbin hadn’t turned into a complete charity case, that left him feeling sour. 

“Look,” Seungmin shifts uncomfortably in his place. “If you’re taking it, you have to be at the police station within an hour because they can’t keep the suspect in custody for much longer.” 

“Yeah, alright.” He grumbles while getting up out of his chair, passing by Seungmin without even uttering out as much as another word. 

**Yongsan-Gu Police Station, interrogation room**

“Prosecutor, it’s great to see you again.” Detective Lee comes to greet Changbin with a firm handshake upon his arrival at the station and then takes him over to the interrogation room. 

“How’s it going in there, Minho?” Changbin asks when they come to a halt outside of the room. Tilting his head, he has a peek at the middle aged man sitting at the room’s single table through the small glass window of the door. Over in the corner, Changbin spots another officer with his arms firmly crossed over one another. 

Minho lets out a frustrated sigh as he leans in against the other side of the doorpost, shaking his head at the prosecutor. “Fucker just won’t talk, I’ve been here for over twenty hours after my colleague’s had a go at him first and all he does is just stare ahead or play mind games with you. But when it’s time to get him a meal, he suddenly becomes very talkative. What a fucking joke.” 

Changbin has another look at the man in the interrogation room and decides he’s not feeling confident about the entire situation. He had checked the files while on his ride over to the station and from a legal standpoint, they had nothing binding to either extend his custody or continue his arrest smoothly. Though on the phone, Minho had desperately tried to convince him that this was indeed their guy and that he absolutely felt it in his gut. 

“It’s not looking good, Lee.” Changbin tells him honestly.

“Just trust me on this one, man. He was spotted at the scene! We have an eyewitness for God’s sake!” Minho stomps at the floor with his combat boot, then desperately tugs at Changbin’s jacket. “I’m working on a lead, okay? We just need him in here for a while longer but I’m getting sick of looking at his ugly mug so I need you to take over.”

Out of all the detectives and law enforcement officers Changbin has gotten to work with over the years, Minho was definitely one of the stranger ones. Though he’s only met him a handful of times, Changbin has not once seen the man wear an appropriate outfit since the detective is always dressed like he’s part of some metal band. Regardless of his fashion choices and at times inappropriate vocabulary, Minho is a good detective and overall a very intelligent guy and that’s why Changbin decides to just take his word for the time being. 

“Fine, I’ll see what I can do and maybe Seungmin can find a way that we can keep this guy for a while longer.” Changbin gives in and he reaches for his phone to send out a text. 

**10:34AM**

_[You]: Any loopholes to keep a suspect in custody after the first initial 48 hours? Twin case, read up on the files, got a real stubborn guy here._

After Changbin has pocketed his phone, Minho comes at him with a slap at his shoulder. “You’re the best, Bin. Come on.”

Changbin enters the room with Minho at his side and they each take a seat at the interrogation table across from the suspect. Changbin is the one directly sitting across from the man this time while Minho apparently has fully put his trust in the prosecutor, the detective busily tapping away at his phone which Changbin just decides to ignore. 

Changbin intertwines his own fingers and lays his hands out to rest on the table, momentarily inspecting the middle aged man until he decides he does indeed resemble the description as given by the eyewitness. “Mr. Min, you’ve been here for a long time but really, the faster you cooperate with us the faster you’ll be free to go.”

There’s silence on the end of Mr. Min and only a little chuckle as produced by Minho fills the room. Changbin straightens his back in his seat and offers the suspect a kind smile, hoping for some cooperation to be achieved through the classic strategy of sucking up.

“Listen, sir. I understand it must be very hard to stay seated in this room for such a long time, especially with such a _special_ officer as detective Lee here but-” 

The sole of Minho’s boot comes kicking at his ankle and effectively disrupts his talking. 

Changbin is about to continue when suddenly the suspect bursts out in loud, unfiltered laughter. His hands gather at his somewhat bulging stomach while the amusement remains present at his face and then Mr. Min leans in until his face is just mere inches away from Changbin’s. 

Wordlessly he directs his eyes downwards and Changbin can only follow his gaze until it lands at his own hand which he then instinctively covers. “What?” 

By now Minho’s watching them too, his attention focused on the developments at hand as he leans in and waits for something to happen next. 

Mr. Min nods his head toward Changbin’s hand, confirming the direction of his interest. 

“Your ring indentation,” The man starts and Changbin intuitively draws his hand back, hiding the slightly discolored ring-shaped mark that’s in place of his old wedding ring around his finger. “Looks like you’re having a harder time than me.” 

“You-” Minho jumps out of his seat, the legs of the chair uncomfortably scraping against the concrete floors and creating an ear-splitting noise before Changbin stops the detective by holding him back at his chest.

“Mr. Min,” Changbin raises the volume of his voice ever so slightly, not letting the man get to him. “We have an eyewitness who claims to have seen you near where the bodies were found around the critical time at which the twins were supposed to have been dumped. Could you please confirm with us whether that was you, if so we would want to know if you have seen anything that could be of help to the investigation.” 

Despite already having created a disliking for the man, Changbin knows it’s best not to accuse him of anything and thus approaches him as if his only interest is getting more information on the site where the bodies were found. Although at this point, with the man having been in custody for well over forty hours, it seems like a bit of a long shot. 

Mr. Min doesn’t fall for his bait, simply leaning back into his chair from where he eyes the clock up on the wall. 

Meanwhile, at the sudden signal of his ringtone, Minho frantically excuses himself and sprints out of the room, leaving the suspect behind with Changbin and the guard. 

Mr. Min continues observing the clock, watching the hands pass by until the hour hand strikes and his lips triumphantly curve into an obnoxious smirk. “Looks like I’m out of here.”

Changbin defeatedly lets himself fall back into his seat knowing they can’t keep the man in custody without them finding more pressing evidence. He’s about to get up and instruct the guard to help guide Mr. Min out of the room when Minho abruptly burges in, returning to the table with his phone held tightly in his hands. 

Flipping the screen, he shoves it right into the old man’s face and shows him a still image of CCTV footage. “We got you right on video, asshole.” 

Although the delivery of his message is borderline improper, Minho manages to save the day just in time and Changbin can’t help but to think the other is one hell of a detective. 

  
  


**July 27th, First hearing at Seoul Central District Court**

“As part of some of the first evidence for our allegations against Mr. Min we would like to present the Jury with this CCTV footage that confirms that the accused was present at the location around the time the bodies of the Ahn twins were estimated to have been dumped.” Changbin firmly presses at a remote and it initiates the slow descending of a projector screen above the judge’s bench

“Was this estimation provided by a forensic pathologist?” The judge intercepts. 

Changbin nods as he speaks into the microphone at his stand. “Yes, Your Honor. These are findings from the autopsy report.”

Everyone in the courtroom momentarily falls quiet as the footage begins to play and Changbin makes sure to carefully interpret the jurors’ expressions while they watch. After it’s done running, Changbin presses to make it play again.

“On this footage, taken from a surveillance camera belonging to a convenience store, we see Mr. Min calmly taking off from the location where the bodies were dumped into the river. This puts him at the scene at exactly the right time, which is around 4:30AM.” Changbin narrates along as the footage plays, pointing up towards the screen. 

The judge turns in her seat to face the defendant's table when the video is done playing for the second time and she’s heard the prosecutor's recital out. “Mr. Min, please state why you were at the dumping site? I believe you don’t even reside near this area.”

“Your Honor, my client-” Chan raises a finger from behind the defendant’s table but the judge quickly interrupts him and when Changbin lifts his gaze to watch the attorney, his eyes first directly meet Felix’s who had apparently been watching him the entire time. 

“Not you, Mr. Bang. I would like to hear from the defendant himself.” The judge states and Changbin gulps as he looks away from the paralegal. 

“Am I not allowed to walk by the river?” The defendant voices himself for the first time during the hearing and the noise in the courtroom immediately picks up as audience members and jurors alike start their startled chatter. 

“At 4:30AM? At a location that far from your home, outside of the park? I suggest that, for your own good, you start speaking the truth now, Mr. Min. You being spotted at that site while there was virtually no one else around is most definitely a serious and disadvantageous factor against your liability.” The judge sternly advises the defendant and Chan immediately leans in at his side to engage in a private conversation with him. 

“Your Honor, my client stated there was someone else at the site.” Chan proposes after they’re done discussing.

Changbin sighs out away from his mic before composedly speaking up. “Mr. Kim, the jogger who initially informed the police about Mr. Min’s presence at the site? We were able to confirm his alibi through the data of his smartwatch’s running app and at no time during that day did he take a break around that specific area. We therefore deem it impossible that Mr. Kim was involved in the disposal of the twins’ bodies.”

Chan drops a pen to paper with a casual raise of his shoulders. “Sure, then what about motive or physical ability? My client has absolutely no connection to the Ahn sisters and a physician has declared him unfit for strenuous physical labor years ago. How could my client even have gone about transporting two adult bodies let alone dump them off of a steep river bank?” 

Felix, sitting at the other side of Mr. Min, intently nods away at the defense attorney’s arguments like some puppet and Changbin has to fight the urge to roll his eyes. 

“The prosecution would like to further announce that we believe Mr. Min has deliberately messed with the CCTV outside of the 24 hour convenience store and that this is why we’re missing footage of the accused arriving at the scene with the bodies. Our reasoning for this is that Mr. Min was active as an employee for a surveillance equipment repair company during a period of 2003 until 2014 before he was declared unfit.” 

“Objection, Your Honor!” Chan interjects while shooting up and slamming his palms against the table. “These are mere speculations on the prosecutor’s end that could spoil my client’s case.” 

The judge remains silent as gossip once again picks up in the court and some of the jury members stare at each other in bewilderment. 

“Your Honour if I may,” Changbin starts, continuing only when the judge gives him a nod. “The camera outside of the convenience store reportedly stopped working at around 3:50AM, conveniently right before the disposal and if it hadn’t been for one of the part timers to notice the camera malfunctioning we wouldn’t have any footage of that day. The part timer, Mr. Song, had been an employee at the shop for quite some time so fortunately he knew how to fix the camera and this is why we have access to footage starting from 4:30AM.”

“Mr. Min, what is your response to these accusations?” An assistant judge speaks up.

Chan and Felix flock at the middle-aged man’s side but he lazily waves them off, shrugs his shoulders and then simply says, “Surveillance cameras randomly stop functioning all the time. I don’t think I have to explain that to anyone in law enforcement.”

For the rest of the hearing, Changbin and Chan continue to go back and forth between accusations and loud calls for objections until the head judge strikes her mallet, ceasing the session.

Members of the audience rise as well as the attorneys and prosecutors while the defendant gets escorted out of a separate exit by a number of guards and Hyunjin shakily breathes out in the jury box, overwhelmed by the proceedings of the trial.

Some jurors around him start talking to each other about what they thought of the hearing but Hyunjin just lowers his head until an employee of the court comes to escort them. “Jurors, please follow your foreman Mr. Han Jisung to start discussing the details of the case.” 

**Seoul Central District Court, room 403 - Jurors’ room**

Jisung sits down at the head of the table as the representative foreperson, a role that was handed to him solely because he was the first juror to be selected. He tries not to let it show that the role of head juror has left him severely burdened and gives everyone around the table a fabricated smile.

“That was, um, a big day!” His cheeks rise high while he keeps on smiling out at the other jurors who are all staring at him rather disinterestedly. It must be a ridiculous sight, he assumes, such a kid like him having to lead a jury existing out of multiple people that were old enough to be his parents or even grandparents, and that for such a high-profile case. The embarrassment of being the center of attention colors his cheeks rosy. “Why don’t we take the time to let all of the details of the first hearing settle in our minds for a moment while we do a round of introductions?” 

There’s not much response as no one in the room seems to be excited to start sharing about their lives. Hyunjin bites at his lip while Jisung hopefully gazes through the room. Hesitatingly raising his hand, he speaks up. “I’ll start.”

“Yes, thank you!” Jisung stares at the other with wide eyes and his palms stretched out for him to begin. “Mister?”

“Hyunjin, Hwang Hyunjin.” 

“Of course! Mr. Hwang, go ahead.” Jisung grabs a pen in hand and holds the tip at a notebook, waiting for Hyunjin to continue.

“Right, I’m Hwang Hyunjin and I’m twenty-two. Currently I’m unemployed but next year I’ll be enrolling into the political science department at Korea University.” 

Initially there’s some response to his arguably very awkward introduction, some old lady tells him he must be a _very smart boy_ and others just send him a polite smile but it all gets overruled by the foreman’s obnoxiously loud clapping. 

“Great! I love it, thank you _Hwang Hyunjin!_ ” Jisung finishes his clapping and then respectfully points at the woman sitting next to Hyunjin with both arms, one hand held under his elbow. “Maybe this lovely lady sitting next to you would like to continue?”

The _lovely lady_ at Hyunjin’s side seems to be absolutely unamused at the idea of an introduction round as she first glares at Jisung for a moment and only after taking a deep breath, starts talking. “I’m Bae Joohyun and I’m an editor for a magazine.” 

Hyunjin quietly watches as Jisung’s expression falters at Joohyun’s indifferent self-introduction but as quickly as his face drops he also pulls himself together, turning his attention to the person next to her. “Okay then. What about you, sir?” 

The senior man lights up at being addressed and begins introducing himself. 

“My name is Kang Song Ho.”

  
  


**July 28th, Prosecutors’ Office**

“So,” Changbin says while Seungmin sits down across from him in his office. “Before we start talking about witnesses, what did you think about yesterday’s hearing?”

Seungmin hums in thought while unconsciously thumbing at the corner of a pale yellow file holder on top of Changbin’s desk, propping his chin up in the palm of his free hand. “Bang… he’s dangerously good. But I’d say that the case we’ve built up is solid despite all of the shortcomings.”

The prosecutor absentmindedly nods away at Seungmin’s words, his thumb caught between his teeth while he struggles to get Hyunjin along with the events of the previous night out of his head. 

“Changbin-hyung?” Seungmin intercepts his daydreaming by tugging at his arm and it causes the older’s head to drop slightly, urging him to sit up straight in his office chair. “What are you thinking about? You seem so out of it.”

Changbin swiftly shakes his head in denial and maybe it’s more so to remind himself that he wasn’t actually acting out of the ordinary. “Nothing, let’s talk witnesses.” 

Seungmin habitually licks at his lips and then just stares at him funny, obviously not believing his colleague as well as close friend though he decides to not press his buttons about it, not while there’s still work left to do at least. “Mr. Kim. The jogger. It would be good if he could testify his original statement to the police in which he described the accused’s odd behavior.” 

Changbin agrees with a deep hum of his own and grabs for the file holder Seungmin was messing with, its pale yellow corners now folded over into dog ears. Flipping through the paperwork, he pulls out a few pages he deemed relevant. “I want to call Minho as a witness.” 

This seems to come as a surprise to the assistant as he begins to frown at him. “Are you sure? You know he’s not necessarily…”

“Sane?” Changbin finishes his sentence for him, a mischievous grin forming at his lips. 

“Not my words but, yes.” Seungmin laughs.

“I think it’ll be a good idea, he’s seen first hand just how twisted that man can be and he’ll be able to narrate footage from interrogations to the jury.” Changbin supports his idea and easily convinces the younger who carefully begins writing down the detective's name on a list.

“I think,” Seungmin takes a pause while tapping the rubber at the end of his pencil at his lips. “We should also bring out a surprise witness.” 

Changbin catches an unfamiliar glimpse of a fierce glint in Seungmin’s eyes and it tells him that the younger is just as desperate to end this case on a successful note as he is. 

**July 31st, Shilla Hotel - Hyunjin’s room**

Changbin’s not sure what brings him back other than the fact he simply wanted to see the student again. He just couldn’t make sense out of the fact why he was necessarily willing to sabotage his career for it. Sure, he and Hyunjin seemed to have hit it off right away and he physically hadn’t been able to force the younger out of his mind for the last couple of days, but is seeing him again really going to be worth it?

He truly doesn’t know. All Changbin knows is that he’s currently standing outside of Hyunjin’s hotel room with his palm spread flat out against the door, still contemplating whether he should knock or take his leave after all. 

The answer should be obvious considering Changbin spent years building up his career from scratch and taking it to impressive heights before even hitting thirty. He’s even had to take an oath before, swearing to faithfully and justly execute his duties as a prosecutor. 

Well, how he has failed at that.

Meanwhile, the wrongful side of his brain is maliciously encouraging on him with arguments that, as sinful as they are, also seem reasonably fair. He’s already made it to the room, he’s already been recorded at the hotel, must anyone ever ask to see the tapes, and he’s already crossed the line once before so just how bad would it be to visit Hyunjin again?

_Very bad._

But he shakes it off, at least momentarily until he takes a deep breath before gently knocking at the door.

Hyunjin is quick to open the door and though he’s surprised to see the prosecutor at the other end, he quickly pulls him in by his clothes. The student also isn’t shy to shut the door behind him with a loud bang. “Oh my god, did someone see you?” 

Changbin stands frozen in the room as it only starts to become real now, the consequences of his actions coming to get him. 

“I don’t think so.” He finally says, moving over to sit down at the edge of the bed. Anyone who visits crime scenes as often as Changbin does eventually learn the skill on how to quietly and unnoticeably move about places. 

Hyunjin paces through the room for a moment and Changbin just silently watches him from the side. He’s dressed in a neat, white and slightly oversized blouse but he’s got this mint green knitted vest pulled on over it and the prosecutor can’t help but to think how different the student looks today. 

After a while of pacing, Hyunjin eventually stops and comes to sit next to Changbin at the end of the bed. Drumming his fingers against the mattress as though he’s feeling nervous about something, Hyunjin tilts his head to face the older. “Why are you here?”

“Didn’t you ask me to come see you again?”

Hyunjin doesn’t remember ever saying that so directly but he still nods. “Yes.” 

“Well,” Changbin halts to peer down at his hand which he then later places on top of Hyunjin’s knee. “I simply wanted to come see you too.”

“So, we’re really doing this then?” Hyunjin asks him while trailing his eyes over the prosecutor’s face like he’s searching for something in his expression. 

Changbin finds that for the first time in a while, he doesn’t hesitate before answering, “Yeah.” 

_°_

“I have to give it to you, Changbin. When I got called to perform jury duty I never expected I’d be playing Uno with the active prosecutor, and while being naked at that.” Hyunjin jokes over the fanned out playing cards he’s holding in his hands. 

“What can I say? I’m full of surprises.” Changbin laughs while playing a card, dropping a red five on top of the stack. 

Hyunjin purses lips in thought as he scans over his cards but he struggles to keep up his poker face when he realizes he doesn’t actually have any playable cards. Sighing out deeply, he reaches to pick a new one up from the other stack and grunts when he sees he can’t play that card either.

Changbin chuckles at the student’s expressive reactions to the game, then quickly inspects his own cards before finally deciding which one to play. 

With a straight face, he ends up adding the card to the gamestack. “Pick up four, Hyunjin.” 

Then, after suppressing a grin. “Oh and, Uno.” 

“Fuck! Are you serious?” Hyunjin whines out in protest at first but then resentfully ends up picking up all four of the cards. “How are you down to your last card already? I’ve got like a million left.” 

While waiting until Hyunjin’s finished picking up his cards, Changbin gets ready to throw his last card into the game although this time, he’s unable to conceal his amusement while he plays a final draw two card. “I win.” 

Hyunjin’s mouth falls open in surprise and he wordlessly stays in that position for a brief moment until he drops himself down back onto the mattress, his hands reaching out to bundle up in his hair. “Noo!” 

“Sorry,” Changbin apologizes with the shiest of smiles while he lowers himself to sidle up next to the younger. Carefully, he stretches out to poke at the deep and slightly petty frown Hyunjin’s wearing. “I think you owe me a prize, though.” 

“A prize?” Hyunjin scoffs but there’s no bite as he turns to lay on his side, facing Changbin. “Your prize is that you get to tap me, Mr. Prosecutor.” 

A playful shove lands at his shoulder and Changbin lets out a chuckle until their eyes suddenly lock and the sight of Hyunjin just peacefully leaning over him almost knocks the wind right out of the Changbin, startling him. 

“I should go…” Changbin whispers, something about literally basking right under Hyunjin’s gaze making him reluctant to speak up without restraining the volume of his voice.

“Right.” Hyunjin’s gaze drops after Changbin announces his leave and it almost makes him feel guilty though there’s nothing he could do about it since he thinks it’s probably best to depart the hotel before morning rush hour. 

Changbin contemplates kissing him goodbye and his body naturally leans in at the thought of it yet he decides against it at the very last moment, leaving an awkward tap at the tip of the younger’s nose instead. 

He then pulls himself out of the bed to get dressed, which he does while absentmindedly listening to Hyunjin babble on about a bunch of trivial things in the background.

“Uh-uh.” Changbin mumbles in reply just to show that he was listening to the other even though it wasn’t really reaching him, hurriedly passing by the bed while fastening his belt around his jeans. 

Hyunjin’s eyes follow him as he walks past and rolls over on the mattress. “Man, I really thought we’d just be hooking up but then you pulled out the Uno cards.”

“I mean, we did hook up before we started playing?” Changbin replies while stuffing his shirt into his jeans. 

“I know just,” Hyunjin laughs softly before sitting himself up a little, pulling the blanket up to cover his chest. “Thank you for coming, I had fun.” 

Changbin grins at that while grabbing for his coat. “Me too.”

“Hey, could you bring me some groceries next time? The hotel’s food sucks.” 

“Sure.” Changbin agrees from where he stands leaning against the door. “I’ll see you at the next hearing then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! so like i said this fic won't be entirely in chronological order as details of the murders get explored through flashbacks/articles and the trial progresses. i hope it's easy to follow thanks to the dates. sorry for the lack of changjin in this chapter. i also would like to mention that i'm not a native english speaker and none of this is beta read so i apologize if there are any mistakes. 
> 
> support is very much appreciated, let me know how you like this chapter! (: i'm trying out something very new to me. 
> 
> ps. uno pls dont sue me  
> (apparently prosecutors in korea can assist in/conduct investigations so there's that.)
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/dwaekkibaragi)


	3. de jure.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw graphic description of corpses  
> cw smut

**February 6th, Seoul Central District court**

“Madam Foreperson, has the jury reached a unanimous verdict?”

A woman who appears to be in her late thirties rises in the jury box, carefully holding onto a folded piece of paper. Changbin holds his breath, his lower lip sucked in between his teeth as he anxiously anticipates for the foreperson to start announcing the jury’s verdict. 

His gaze temporarily shifts towards the defendant's table where Chan, in contrast to his paralegal, is visibly still very much relaxed. The attorney’s leaned back in his chair with his eyes fixated over onto the jury and Felix’s petite yet assuring hands are working at his shoulders. 

“We have, Your Honor.” The foreperson tells the judge, unfolding the piece of paper with her slightly trembling hands.

“And what say you?” Follows the judge’s response and Changbin watches as the man begins to reach for his gavel.

“On the charge of assault, we find the defendant, Shin Yujeong, not guilty.” 

Changbin instantly zones out while the judge begins to repeat the verdict and he only manages to distinguish the loud striking of the gavel in the background before he’s absentmindedly crawling off of the platform. 

He just can’t believe they’ve lost yet another case to Chan. Upon starting the trial he was still feeling confident with the evidence he and Seungmin had gathered over weeks of careful investigation but jury trial outcomes are always unexpected. With every sharp remark on Chan’s side that undermined Changbin’s honest prosecution as well as with his wordy and intelligent closing, the attorney had really played on the jurors’ emotions, tilting their judgement in favor of his defendant. 

Seungmin suddenly rushes over to be at his side and Changbin notices the younger is already carrying his briefcase for him. “It’s okay, hyung. This was just a minor case.” He says after handing over the briefcase.

“It was assault, Seungmin.” Changbin sighs out, his lips still pursed out as he drags his palm along his face in frustration.

The assistant spares no words in response and merely starts walking out of the courtroom until he’s quite a few steps ahead of the prosecutor. “Check your phone!” Seungmin eventually yells from where he’s literally speed walking in the lead. 

Sighing out once more, Changbin awkwardly uses his one free hands to lift up part of his robe and fish his phone out of the back pocket of his pants. After a press at the home button, he’s immediately greeted by a seemingly endless string of message notifications from the detective on the twin case. 

While passing through the court’s hallways on his way towards the exit, he carefully scrolls through the notifications although he quickly finds out they’re all just really telling the prosecutor to hurry up, in very _colorful_ language. To his surprise, Minho had even attached a picture to one of the messages but when he opens it and it takes over the entire size of his screen, Changbin sees it’s a picture of the detective himself just angrily glaring at the camera lense while squeezing around a rolled up manila folder with his fist. “Fucking hell…” 

Though he struggles to type with a single thumb, Changbin hurriedly sends a reply saying he’ll there soon.

**Seoul Detention Center**

When Changbin arrives at the center after being driven there, the driver takes off with Seungmin still in the car to take him back to the prosecutors’ office. Having stepped out of the car, Changbin first tugs at his suit vest to fix it in place before heading over to the entrance. 

There are some guards outside, but he’s also greeted by the frame of detective Lee who stands leaning just outside of the entrance with the sole of one of his boots pressed up back against the wall. He’s smoking, which Changbin regards as a very detective thing to do, and he watches how Minho inattentively flicks at the butt of his cigarette while wearing the dullest of expressions. 

Once he’s sidled up next to the detective, Minho quickly tosses his cigarette away before he turns himself towards Changbin with a low grunt. “Finally.” 

“Come on.” Minho grips around Changbin’s wrist to drag him inside the detention center where they first silently have to pass through regulatory inspections and an old metal detector. When they’re cleared, Minho once again comes up at his side to tug at his jacket. “Lose this, you look stiff.” 

“I look fine.” Changbin initially raises in defense but after reading Minho’s face he decides the other looks like he wasn’t going to change his opinion on the jacket any time soon so he ends up letting out a deep exhale before shrugging the old suit jacket off. 

While being escorted by a detention officer, they then resume their way through the facility and over to a private room, although they first take a stop at some office, which is where Minho finally pulls him aside and into a corner. “What took you so long?” 

In the back two officers, of which one Changbin suspects might actually be the warden, are caught up in conversation. A conversation that, after a while of listening doesn’t appear to be of any use to the prosecutor so he redirects his attention to the detective. 

“Ugh, have you met that bastard defense attorney Bang? I got stuck at court because he’s always dragging out his closings and-” Changbin moves to throw his head back as if to emphasize his annoyance until he’s suddenly cut off by a familiar voice. 

“Changbiiin!” Chan joviously calls for him while approaching them, sporting a bright smile, though it really looks more like a smirk, before he speaks up again. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite prosecutor!”

Changbin feels his body freeze on the spot, instantly aggravated by just the tone of Chan's voice along with his presence. At his side, Minho then suddenly presses up next to him and whispers into his ear. "Yeah, I think I've met him."

“So, Changbin, I took the liberty of getting us some coffee since I have a feeling we’re about to sit through a _veeery_ long interrogation.” The attorney raises the two paper cups in his hands in an attempt to show them off before handing one over and finally turning towards Minho. “Sorry detective, unfortunately I could only carry two.” 

“Did you spit in this?” Changbin jeers, inspecting the cup by turning it around in his hand before giving it to Minho. “You have it.” 

“No, but now I’m thinking I should have.” Chan retorts harshly before sipping at his own coffee. 

Meanwhile, behind them, Minho just mutely stares at the cup he’s holding in his hands for a moment and then ends up placing it on top of some nearby file cabinet after some consideration. "I think I’ll pass."

“So where’s that pet paralegal of yours?” Changbin later provokes when they’re all moving forward toward one of the detention center’s interrogation rooms, passing a block of cells. 

“Felix? He’s at the office. Don’t you worry though, my friend. I’m very capable of doing this all on my own, I actually won a pretty big case just this morning!” Chan shoots back in reply, smiling down at him. 

“Oh really? Gosh, I wish I could have been there to see it.” Changbin feigns. 

The men fall quiet after a guard tells them they’re nearing the room and then all that is left to be heard are their advancing steps along with the jingling and cluttering of the bundle of silver necklaces and dog tags that Minho routinely carries around his neck. 

For one last time, the necessary safety measures are taken and then they’re all being led inside where Mr. Min is already seated, cuffed up and chained to the table. Changbin thinks the suspect radiates a different energy like this as he carefully takes in the image of him tied up and dressed in the center’s dull colored inmate uniform, looking surprisingly vulnerable. 

They all wordlessly take to their seats, Chan settling next to Mr. Min while Minho and Changbin sit down at the opposite side of them. 

Chan begins his introduction as Mr. Min’s lawyer and quickly explains a few conditions though the man doesn’t appear to be impressed in the slightest since he doesn’t even bother to look the attorney’s way, simply staring down at his cuffed wrists. 

Changbin and Minho likewise retreat to take a moment for themselves as they exchange and prepare a handful of files before putting them out on the table. “Mr. Min, now that you’re being rightfully represented by an attorney we wish to resume our investigation.” 

Minho lets Changbin take the upperhand in the interrogation and slightly reclines into his chair, his chains rattling once more has he does so. 

“You were present at the dumping site and we have a witness and camera footage to prove this, could you finally state your offical reasons for being there?” Changbin tries first. 

Chan turns to advise the man, leaning in at his ear to probably say something like; “You don’t have to answer this.” 

Mr. Min silently keeps his gaze directed towards his own hands, inspecting them as he stretches out and relaxes his fingers a couple of times like he’s in some sort of trance. “No comment, I had every right to be there.” 

“Very well, could you then maybe tell us if you saw anything out of the ordinary? Since you were there right at the approximate time of the dumping, I believe you must have at least picked something up?” Changbin raises as another attempt while reaching for one of the manila folders and pulling out a set of printed photographs. 

They are pictures of the twins laying in the riverbank, their bodies unnaturally pale though they are vividly bruised and drenched. He neatly places them out, three of them, open at the center of the table. One is an overall shot of the scene to show the surroundings of the river bank and a few bright yellow evidence markers that lay around the bodies. The other two images are close-up shots focused on details of ruptured skin from where the twins had their arms dismembered, presumably for easier transportation according to Minho. 

Changbin doesn’t miss the way Chan initially flinches at the sight of the pictures and eventually turns his head away whereas Mr. Min doesn’t show any emotional response while his eyes passively gaze over the images. 

“Maybe…,” Changbin pauses to tap at one of the pictures that are laid out before them and shifts in closer. “You can tell me if you saw any of _this?”_

Chan holds his fist at his mouth while he still tries to avoid looking, sighing out. “This is just offensive, can’t you take these away?!”

“Your client seems to have no issue with them, Mr. Bang. Would you tell me, sir? Does any of this look familiar?” Changbin dares to take it a step further and slides the picture with both girls in it over until the corners of the paper barely touch at the man’s chest. 

Personally, although this is probably the most disturbing case he’s ever worked on, Changbin has seen enough misery at this point in his career that he’s not that affected by the appearances of the corpses himself. His eyes had become trained to the point he now was able to just turn on a switch, to numb himself temporarily when it was time to be faced with the gruesome details his job ensures at times. 

Minho also remains unfazed, having even been present at the scene the day the bodies were discovered. For the two of them, with the experience they have, it probably says enough that Mr. Min is remaining unresponsive while being confronted with images of such extremely disturbing nature. 

Gut feelings don’t get you anywhere in court though, so he keeps on pushing, “We have a warrant to search your house tomorrow. During the search we’ll be interviewing your wife too. Now is there anything you wish to tell us ahead of time?” 

Changbin observes the suspect as he continues to sit there at the table with his wrists tightly tied to the surface, barely stirring as his eyes scan over the girls one more time. 

Mr. Min extends his long and bony fingers until they reach one of the other printed pictures so he can drag it closer to himself before he slightly lifts his pointed chin to viciously spit out at the image. “Take these away!”

“What the fuck?!” Minho bangs his fists down as he shoots up into the air and reaches out to grip at the man’s uniform though Chan manages to block his advancing just in time, disapprovingly shaking his head.

Changbin also rushes to interfere and gets up out of his own chair before grabbing at the detective’s shoulders to pull him back and away from the suspect. He has to hold Minho to his chest, both of his arms hooked firmly around the other man as he squirms around in his hold, cursing a blue streak. “You fucking sick son of a bitch!” 

“Minho, calm down,” he heaves, struggling to keep the floundering detective in check. “Think of the case, for God’s sake!” 

With that, Minho’s body calms down and Changbin can feel him physically getting heavier in his arms so he sets him down, huffing out as he takes a step back and runs a hand through his hair. The next time he’ll get a chance alone with the detective, Changbin thinks, they’ll for sure have to discuss his inappropriate emotional involvement in the case. 

But for now the prosecutor has other tasks at hand, ones that mainly have to do with trying to figure out a way to have Chan think their investigation hasn’t reached a dead end and that Minho isn’t actually a burnt out, incapable detective. 

Changbin pats down at his clothes while he contemplates his next move, soon pointing at the door. “Hyung, why don’t you wait for me at the office.” 

“And Mr. Min,” the prosecutor starts, his breath still a little uneven as he turns to face the suspect after Minho’s left the room. “We plan to find enough evidence during our search of your home, so we’ll be seeing you again soon.”

Facing Chan, he simply sends him a timid nod of his head and then moves over to one of the guards. “Make sure the suspect doesn’t have any contact with the outside world so the search can’t be interfered with. Thank you.”

Changbin later leaves the room after collecting his files without sparing any more words on either Mr. Min or Chan and he’s about to head over to the office to meet Minho until he’s being called for again by the attorney. 

Chan rapidly jogs over to stand at the prosecutor’s side where he crosses his arms out in front of his chest. 

“What do you need, Chan? I’m starting to get so fucking tired of this.” Changbin grumbles, his shoulder sagging in exhaustion. 

Chan stays quiet, biting at the inside of his cheek as he prepares to speak the words that lie on his tongue. “I know what you're thinking of me right now, you know. Like, is this really the kind of case I want to get involved in? A double homicide case, concerning twins? A case that has swept the entire nation's attention? That will get my face on TV?”

The prosecutor just remains silent for the duration of Chan’s speech, his hands balling into fists as all he can think of is how badly he would like to punch off the faint smirk that’s appearing at the corners of the attorney’s lips.

“The answer is yes, Changbin. Because _any_ press is good press.” 

**February 7th, outside of Min residence**

After leaving Chan behind at the interrogation room the day before, Changbin went to find Minho in the detention center’s office where they shared a conversation regarding their feelings towards the case. Apparently Minho had reacted so violently to the suspects behavior because he was set to meet the victims’ parents for a second interview later that day and that the sheer disrespect of it all disgusted him to the core. 

Changbin sympathized with him, this case was already starting to take its toll on all of them while they were being driven crazy by Mr. Min’s outrageous explosions and extreme reluctance to cooperate. He wished he could trade places with the detective and talk to the family instead but he and Seungmin had to prepare for the house search so he tried to comfort the man in the best way he knew how. Through awkward and unrequested embrace. 

While they hugged in the privacy of the cramped, old-fashioned office behind the safety of the closed blinds, the atmosphere was awkward for sure especially with the way Minho’s chains felt uncomfortably cold against his bare neck. But it seemed to calm down the detective’s nerves enough for him to be able to speak up without fear. “Will you take me off the case?”

“No,” Changbin had instantly responded before his head even had the chance to fully gather all of his thoughts. “I think you’re doing a good job.” 

He realized then, in that moment, because the both of them seemed to have things going on they were able to relate to each other and thus made a good team. 

Therefore, on the following day while officers and a forensic team are gathering at Mr. Min’s apartment, Minho is also present on the scene as the leading detective. 

To battle the freezing temperature outside, the detective has thrown on a police jacket over his typically dark fashion. Meanwhile Changbin, who’s sitting hovered over the floor plans of the house, is wearing a long padded jacket with an equally as puffy collar that his round cheeks were resting on top of. 

Neither of them had brought up any discourse on their hug which Changbin undeniably feels very thankful for. They simply and quietly discuss about their work from the layout of the house, expected findings, interview strategies for Mr. Min’s spouse and how they expect to proceed if they find something pressing.

As they ponder over things, people continue to filter in and out of the house performing the actual work of examining the surroundings and conditions. At this point, Changbin and the detective were really just there for guidance and making sure things operated smoothly. 

Changbin himself had already walked through the house earlier, entering every room to just get a quick impression of Min’s living conditions. The apartment he resides in with his wife is small and belongs to a relatively medium sized tower block somewhere in _Dobung-gu_. The place looked slightly impoverished and he had noticed some of the wallpaper was damaged in a few areas. The Min’s have two cats who are probably the culprits of ruining the wallpaper, but no kids. According to the file Seungmin had stuffed in his hands earlier, they’ve been living off of government support and subsidies after Mr. Min lost his job and was declared unfit to work so they obviously lived soberly. The entire house was scattered with bags filled with trash and piles of folded cardboard reached the ceilings although most of it was surprisingly neatly ordered since Min’s wife confessed she actually collected and sold the trash to make ends. 

She asked Minho if that was considered illegal, then begged Changbin not to report it with pleading eyes until they ensured her it was fine. 

Currently, Changbin is back outside and he’s penning in his notebook until one of the junior forensic scientists comes to pat at his shoulder. Tilting his head to face her, he holds a hand out above his eyes to block out the blinding sun. “Yeah?” 

“We found a knife that appears consistent with the twins’ puncture wounds. We have to take it to the lab first to be sure but maybe you can ask the spouse about it during your interview. I sent over a picture and some details to detective Lee.” The girl explains, the hood of her protective full-body suit sagging over her forehead ever so slightly as she vigorously nods at the prosecutor. 

“Thank you for your hard work, that’s great news. I’ll come visit the lab soon.” Changbin replies to her with a smile before getting up which Minho quickly mirrors while also reaching for his iPad. 

_°_

“Mrs. Min, thank you for being so kind to talk to us.” Changbin begins from where he’s sitting on the small, flower patterned, two-person couch next to Minho with a small cup of barley tea sitting in his palm. 

Mrs. Min involuntarily shrugs, her lifeless expression only exaggerated by the appearance of her gloomy eye bags, “What choice did I really have? You lot came barging in with a search warrant…”

Changbin swallows dry, then chases it with a sip of his bitter tea. 

Minho’s busy searching through his iPad, presumably trying to retrieve the picture of the expected murder weapon as Changbin uncomfortably shifts into the sagging cushion of the couch. “Your husband, he’s uhm, let’s say he’s… not very willing to share information with us. So we were wondering if you could tell us more about his character-”

“He’s a good man.” Mrs. Min hastily intercepts, her hands coming together in her lap above her fragile thighs. 

“Right,” he falls quiet, unsure of what to say. “So you wouldn’t describe him as violent?” 

“No,” 

“Listen _ahjumma_ ,” Minho lifts the leg he previously had slung over his other leg while he was sitting leaned back into the sofa, and straightens his posture. “This knife here, does it look familiar to you? Apparently it’s not part of any of your kitchen’s knife sets?” 

The detective flips his iPad around to show the middle-aged woman the picture of the knife as taken by the forensics team, the alleged murder weapon lined with yellow measuring tape as it appears on the screen. 

She quietly inspects it for a moment, her eyes attentively scanning over the image as though she’s really trying hard to remember if she has ever seen it around the house before. 

“Does it belong to, like, your husband’s tool kit? It’s quite sharp, isn’t it? What do you think it would be used for?” Minho quires further, one of his brows cocked up. 

Mrs. Min ends up shaking her head after some more time spent considering it, then firmly speaks up again. “It’s not ours, where’d you find it? It must have been planted by one of your people. My husband has nothing to do with any of this.” 

Changbin’s mouth falls open at the allegations and the detective and him momentarily come to face each other in disbelief. 

“Mrs. Min, I can assure you none of us would ever do anything like that-”

“I want you guys out! Aren’t you done with your useless search by now?!” 

**August 2nd, Shilla Hotel restaurant**

Hyunjin finds himself torn looking at the breakfast buffet offerings, absentmindedly clipping the thong in his hand while he tries to figure out what to have. He’s had just about everything to eat by now and he knows all of it tastes exceptionally bland, always just missing that extra flavor. 

He sighs out and eventually picks out a collection of side dishes along with some multi grain rice and a plate he fills with nothing but a fried egg and two pieces of fried spam. This would just have to do for today, he decides.

Next to him stands the jury’s _expert foreperson_ Han Jisung who seems to have an easier time figuring out what to eat, still excited by the fact he gets to visit a buffet every day. He fills his tray up with a fruit yoghurt parfait, a chilled strawberry milk carton he fishes out of a fridge somewhere and finally starts scooping an absurd amount of scrambled eggs on his plate to top it all off. 

Somewhere along the way, Hyunjin had befriended Jisung and now they spend most of their time together out of lack of better company while being stuck at the hotel for the trial. Although, they actually get along surprisingly well despite their obviously opposing personalities. They meet for breakfast every morning, hit the gym and pool together and sometimes they hang out in each other's rooms. As of late even fashion magazine editor Bae Joohyun has joined in on their hotel-stay shenanigans after warming up to them. 

Joohyun walks ahead of them with her own filled tray as she tries to find a spot for them to sit at in the restaurant. She finally finds a little booth tucked away in some corner and they all take a seat, Hyunjin sitting down next to Joohyun. Jisung sits down across from them, glancing up at Hyunjin with this mischievous glint in his eyes above his impressive pile of scrambled eggs. It's incredibly unnerving since although he hasn't known the other for all that long, Hyunjin has long found out Jisung is usually up to no good. 

“Let's talk about the trial... hotties!”

“W-What?” Joohyun stammers out, pulling away from her steaming soybean stew. 

“Yeah like, let's talk about who's the hottest in court. Besides me, your dazzling foreperson, of course.” When Jisung smiles, he's all teeth and adorably squished up cheeks but Hyunjin honestly can't help but to laugh at the absurdity of the suggestion. 

“So, like who are you thinking of?” Hyunjin asks after stuffing a spoonful of purplish mixed grain rice in his mouth. 

“Let's start with judge Yoon. Hot or not?” Jisung asks, casually crossing his arms out in front of his chest before resting them on the table. 

There’s silence on behalf of all of them because apparently, no one thinks the middle aged woman is hot. 

Jisung nods, poking at his scrambled eggs with his fork. “She looks like she’d give a good spanking though.” 

Hyunjin frowns at the images spawning in his head and drops his face in his palms, groaning low. “Can you please just shut up for once?” 

Jisung only snorts in response and pretends to smack an imaginary gavel on his tray, his cutlery clattering against his perfect white plate which draws a deep sigh out of Joohyun.

“Alright well, how about that defense attorney, Bang? Hot or not?”

Unexpectedly, Joohyun is the first to reply, claiming that the well dressed attorney is, indeed, hot. 

“I'd have to agree.” Jisung states after a while of seriously considering the debate at hand as if it’s extremely relevant. 

“Let's see... who's left?” he hums and then a snap of his fingers swiftly follows. “Oh, the prosecutor!”

“Hot.” Hyunjin instantly states and to his surprise so does Joohyun, right at the same time. Turning his head, he comes to face her with wide eyes and they momentarily stare at each other in silence until Jisung suddenly drops his fork on his plate.

“Oops, sorry.” He bashfully laughs, picking up his fork. 

Dropping his head, Hyunjin effectively breaks their eye contact and reaches up to scratch at the back of his neck, feeling uncomfortable under Joohyun’s bewildered gaze for some reason. 

“So you both think he's hot? I don't know if I feel the same... I guess it's attractive how he's like fighting for justice and shit.” Jisung absently muses through a mouth stuffed with fluffy eggs.

“Yeah,” Hyunjin shakily exhales. “That’s it, I guess.” 

**Second hearing at Seoul Central District court**

Having been through the safety process countless times by now, Changbin smoothly unclasps his watch in one go and drops it into a box outside of one of the court’s metal detectors. He disposes his phone and briefcase in the same box and stays watching as some sort of conveyor belt begins to drag his belongings through a baggage scanner. 

“Morning,” Chan announces in his signature cheerful tone after lining up at the second metal detector next to Changbin’s, tugging at the collar of his crisp, white dress shirt. “Ready for today?” 

Changbin decides to just ignore him, greeting Felix who stands lined up behind the attorney with a wave of his hand instead. “Hey you.” 

Felix immediately physically perks up at being addressed, a bright smile appearing on his face that impressively shows almost all of his teeth. “Hi, Changbin! We haven’t talked in so long!” 

“Hmm, I know right?” Changbin forces out his most charismatic laugh as he passes through the metal detector with no issues, nodding over at the guard standing at the end of it. Turning on his heels, he faces Felix again.

“Have you been well?” he starts off, and then just to push Chan’s buttons he says the following. “You look good today.” 

The paralegal flushes at the compliment, his hand coming up to cover the pink hue that came to rest upon his freckled face. 

“Y-Yes, I’ve been well! Good luck today, Changbin.” Felix tries to say though he’s quickly interrupted by the sound of the metal detector’s ringing alarm as Chan passes through it. 

“Arms out, please.” Comes the voice of a guard who earnestly pulls Chan aside to scan over his physique with a hand-held security scanner. 

Felix observes the entire situation with a stunned expression, unsure of how to act as he just comes to a halt behind the attorney. 

Changbin can’t help but to be amused by it all, relishing in his rival’s awkward mis fortune so much that he grins while passing the guard on his way to the courtroom, placing his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, sir. I’m sure that’s just his heart, it’s made of pure metal.”

  
  


_°_

When Changbin makes it to the courtroom he first spots Minho who’s waiting in front of the court reporter. 

“Hey,” Changbin greets the detective who for the purpose of the hearing dressed up in a suit. “Looking real dapper, man. Were you two talking?” 

He points between the two of them and the reporter timidly nods in reply. Changbin can’t say he’s met the reporter a lot of times before the start of this trial but in his mind she’s always fit the stereotype look of her profession, her hair always slightly messy and her face always sporting these glasses with the thinnest of frames but the thickest of glasses. 

“I was just asking how fast she can type, I’m quite fascinated.” Minho explains while feeling at the top of the stenotype machine. 

“I see.” 

Minho smiles at the reporter although he undoubtedly looks very anxious to Changbin as he keeps restlessly tugging at his tie. He thinks the detective must feel burdened to participate in the trial and testify so he reaches out to pat at his back near his shoulder blade. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Minho gives his tie one final, hard tug. “Just feeling stuffy in this damn suit.”

“So, once the hearing starts, will you state my name as detective Lee? Because I think _that_ one _hot detective_ would work too.” Minho jokes and Changbin decides to completely zone out of the dialogue, though not only to block out the detective’s tacky flirting. 

When he lifted his head earlier he’d met Hyunjin’s gaze over in the jury box by accident, and the younger wasn’t necessarily shy about it, keeping their eyes locked for a while. Changbin tries his best not to smile at him though he feels the corners of his mouth naturally curling up at the sight of the student confidently sending him a secretive wink. 

The simple wink is enough to have his head momentarily short circuiting, details of the case along with morals he previously held close to him leaking out of his mind. He wants to acknowledge him, maybe wink back at him, send him a freaking kiss hand, or just quickly wave, but he hurriedly pulls himself back together.

Scraping his throat, he turns to face Hyunjin with his back before moving Minho over to where he’s supposed to be seated until they call him as a witness. He then straightens out his robe, signals something over to Seungmin who had been waiting for him and goes to stand behind his microphone on the platform by himself. 

The hearing starts off at a relatively slow pace with the judge introducing the case and providing a recap of the matters that were discussed during the last hearing.

Changbin scans the faces in the jury box and he recognizes the foreman, Bae Joohyun and of course _Hyunjin_. Some of the jury members look tired while one juror was eagerly taking notes, obviously taking his job very seriously. 

Bae Joohyun reminds Changbin of his ex-wife in the way that she strikes him as a kind of quiet woman, one whose mind you could never really read no matter how hard you tried. On the other hand, it’s far easier to try and guess what Hyunjin's thinking of. His expressive face and big, telling eyes revealing more than he could ever imagine as he attentively listens and follows the case’s developments. 

Today Changbin and Seungmin were pushing to expose Mr. Min’s inherently evil characteristics by showing the jury images of the bodies’ injuries, examples of his immoral behavior during the myriad of interviews they conducted with him and finally Minho’s and the jogger’s testimonies. 

On the witness list Changbin had received a while back he noticed that Chan and Felix were also calling a witness today, one Mr. Son who is supposedly the suspect’s old employer from when he worked with the security technology company. 

“Mr. Seo, I heard you will be calling out a witness today?” Judge Yoon inquires, her glasses slipping down her nose bridge ever so slightly when she looks down at him from her elevated bench. 

“Yes, Your Honor. The prosecution calls for the active and leading detective on the case, Mr. Lee Minho.” Changbin announces, his head shooting up so he can follow Minho’s hesitant trail toward the witness stand located next to the judge’s bench. 

Minho sits down, leans forward and positions his microphone to be at the right height. He’s been in this position before but never for a case that felt this grim and also somehow _personal_ and he thus lifts his right hand with a certain, heavy feeling of unease. 

A clerk guides him through an oath, in which he duly swears to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It’s a bit of a repetitive piece, one he has basically memorized by now and therefore he doesn’t feel like he really needs the clerk’s assistance. 

“Welcome, sir,” the judge starts, turning in her chair to have a good look at Minho in the witness stand after he’s done swearing his oath. “Could you identify yourself and tell me how you are employed?”

Minho nods because that much he can, of course, do. “My name is Lee Minho, I am a detective with the Yongsan district police and I have been active as the leading detective on this case ever since it first opened.” 

“Very well. How long have you had that job?” 

“Four years, Your Honor.” 

The judge deeply hums into the microphone. “Only four years on the job and you were assigned to such a high-profile case?” 

Changbin bites into his lower lip as he carefully listens to the testimony, he really needs this to work out in order to compensate for the evidence’s shortcomings. 

Minho uncomfortably shifts in his seat at the questions before answering. “I am an excellent detective, Your Honor. I have the highest solving rate at the precinct and before earning my current job title I was already working with law enforcement for over six years. I thus have ten years of experience.” 

Changbin lets out a relieved sigh, one he was holding in for arguably too long while he waited for Minho to finish. He’s surprisingly very competent with his answers, though the prosecutor hadn’t doubted his ability of being a good witness it was just that he seemed nervous before. But now, Mino appears to be slowly slipping into his element. 

“Thank you, Mr. Lee,” The judge smiles, apparently also pleased with Minho’s introduction. “The prosecution may now start questioning the witness.” 

“Detective Lee,” Changbin had stepped off of his platform to come to stand somewhere before the judge’s bench at the opposite side of the defendant's table, needing some room to walk about freely. “Would you tell us why the police decided to arrest Mr. Min as its prime suspect for the case and could you state your first impression of the accused?” 

“We arrested Mr. Min after an initial witness report of a man who had seen him present at the dumping site. We took him over for interrogation and from the moment I sat down with him he immediately struck me as a very peculiar person.” 

“How so?” Changbin asks. 

“Well, despite having sat through literally hundreds of interrogations while being on the force I have never met a suspect as reluctant to cooperate with law enforcement as Mr. Min. He’s very stubborn and almost hard to deal with as he just stares ahead while being interrogated. You see, he’s even instulted and mocked some of our officers.”

“So, you would say he’s disrespectful?” 

“Objection! After my client's arrest he was held without substantial evidence for _over_ the legal time limit of 48 hours. If anyone should be tarnished like this, it should be the police department. I'd go crazy too if they had me locked up for that long!" Chan rushes to jump out of his chair, causing Felix to get startled a little before he turns to the jury, making sure to play in on their emotions. “Especially with detective Lee in the room. According to my client the man is unbearably annoying and a lousy officer of the law. Apparently, he once even launched himself at my client!”

“Uhm first of all, objection for personal slander? And second, Mr. Min was only exceedingly held in custody for around fifteen minutes while we were waiting for another officer to arrive with the CCTV tapes in which he is seen at the site. That tape was sufficient enough to keep him in custody for an extended period.” Minho raises his voice, angrily tapping at the microphone in front of him.

“Detective Lee, first of all you have no authority to call for objection, and what was this about you launching yourself at the defendant?” The judge raises, her brows knitted together in a confused frown.

“I-, Your Honor, the defendant has consistently acted outrageously around us law enforcement officers and during one interviews, when we confronted him with pictures of the twins’ bodies, he spat at them! It was not right of me, but I am only human, so that vulgar act offended me to the point I simply jumped out of my chair in shock. I never intended to intimidate the defendant.” Minho defends himself and his testimony is met by shock of the audience as many begin to exclaim their disgust towards Mr. Min’s foul act through muted gossiping. 

The judge sighs out, then announces into her microphone. “Order in the court!” 

“Your Honor, my client has also stated that the detective called him, and I quote, _a sick son of a bitch_.”

“Mr. Lee, is this true?” 

Minho’s mouth falls open but words fail to come out, he eyes over at Changbin in a pinch, then raises his shoulders. “I, uh-, can neither confirm nor deny that.” 

“Mr. Lee, please.” The judge tries again. 

“I can neither confirm nor deny that.” Minho repeats himself, directly staring out over to the jury box in order to avoid the judge’s gaze. 

**Shilla Hotel - Hyunjin’s room**

“Fuck!” Hyunjin lets out a high pitched cry while throwing his head back against Changbin's bare shoulder. “Keep going.”

They're standing in the shower and Hyunjin's body is limp and heavy leaning back at Changbin's chest while the prosecutor is working him up. All that is around them is thick steam which is effectively clouding up his mind as Changbin tugs away at Hyunjin's unbelievably pretty, pink headed cock. 

The younger’s limbs tremble and he’s barely keeping to his feet as he slips and stumbles in the pool of water at the bottom of the tub. Luckily for him, Changbin's got a tight arm wrapped around his lean waist and is keeping him right in place. 

Changbin's own cock is rock hard and pressed right under the curve of Hyunjin’s ass cheek. He frantically keeps thumbing at the younger's slit, just rubbing in continuous circles since he knows how sensitive Hyunjin is to the stimulation and just how much it can drive him over the edge. 

While Hyunjin whimpers out at his mercy, Changbin can't help but to think he looks captivating. Of course he already knew the other to be stunning before, but something about him now, with long wet strands of raven black hair sticking to his face and shiny droplets of water dangling from his full lips, just hanging on for dear life, his beauty appears unmatched. “Shit, Hyunjin.”

He finds himself relating to those silly little droplets, so desperately begging to stay attached to Hyunjin’s lips. Yeah, Changbin can totally empathize with that wish. Reaching out, he takes the point of Hyunjin’s chin in between some of his fingers and gently tilts his face to the side so he can latch their mouth together in a wet kiss.

It’s a kiss Hyunjin eagerly returns, longingly pressing into Changbin’s lips until the prosecutor jerks at his cock just right with a swift and skilled flick of his wrist, making him see stars. 

Hyunjin spills out in spurts all over Chanbin’s hand, though it rinses off soon enough, dropping to the bottom of the tub and finally washing down the drain. 

He didn’t think it was possible but Hyunjin’s long body becomes even more limp as he relaxes himself into Changbin’s hold after reaching that post-orgasm bliss. The prosecutor curses under his breath when he’s barely able to hold the other up and he’s not able to properly ground himself while in the tub. 

“Jin, come on. Get up, let’s dry you off.” Changbin suggests, his face pressed into Hyunjin’s shoulder.

The only response he’s met with is a deep, frustrated whine as the younger pushes himself up and off of Changbin’s body. 

Hyunjin then twists to face him, his hands initially arriving at Changbin’s shoulders although he quickly drops them to his pecs. “You’re still hard, let me return the favor…” 

Changbin chews at his lip, then drops his head, unable to keep looking the younger in his eyes while he suddenly looks this soft. Like a drenched kitten gazing down at him with the gentlest and compassionate set of eyes. “It’s okay, I’m scared you’ll fall. Besides, you said you didn’t feel like anal today.” 

“No-no,” Hyunjin protests by firmly shaking his head. “Let me blow you or something, I’ll get on my knees.” 

“Or,” He suddenly hoists himself up after he first was trying to descend to his knees. There’s a grin on his face before he drawls out his idea with overwhelmingly alluring tonality. “Or… you could fuck my thighs?” 

“I got this new bath oil, we can put it to good use.” Hyunjin nods over to a direction somewhere behind Changbin’s shoulder. 

Intrigued by the idea, Changbin flips his head back to have a look, and in a basket that’s nailed to the wall he then finds the oil. 

Changbin reaches out for the bottle and he assumes Hyunjin must have brought it over from home. Flipping the product around in his hand he reads the label, ylang ylang and patchouli, some real intimate smelling stuff.

Realistically them both being soaked would probably prove to be suitable enough but after having taken a glance at Hyunjin, the older notices just how excited he seems to be about the idea as well. 

_This better not irritate my skin_ , Changbin thinks in a passive thought at first, but all his concerns fade away when he slicks up the area between Hyunjin's thighs. The younger is back to shivering uncontrollably, still sensitive from when he came earlier and the sensation is probably only being heightened by Changbin roaming around so dangerously close to his groin. 

He swiftly pulls his hand back from between his thighs to hook one arm around Hyunjin's waist right before he was about to fall over. “Easy, there.”

“S-Sorry, can't help it.”

Changbin then wraps a tight hand around his own cock and squeezes it hard at the base as if to tell his dick to behave since he fears he might instantly come undone the moment he slips it in between Hyunjin's inviting legs. 

His other hand cautiously meets the side of Hyunjin's left thigh first and he curiously presses into the muscle. The younger's definitely fit, all firm beneath the skin that surprisingly feels insanely soft and plush all over in contrast. It urges him to squeeze, he just wants to feel him up bad, so he does, and Changbin almost instantly withdraws his hand the moment Hyunjin moans out at being touched.

He replaces his hand at Hyunjin's lower back and dips him forward until his ass comes up slightly. As if he's experienced and well familiar with being fucked in the hotel’s bathroom, the student instantly places his hands on top of the sides of the tub to keep himself in place. 

The angle must be awkward for him to keep at due to his height, his previously limp body now almost painfully strained. Hyunjin doesn't complain though, and neither does Changbin as he grips at the other's hip bone and plunges his cock in between the pair of slicked up thighs. 

The glide is almost _too_ slippery but the oil's scent is so deliciously delirious that it invites him to sink in further. With a pat at his flat abdomen, Changbin informs Hyunjin to tense his muscles.

It doesn't take long before he complies, tightly clutching his thighs around Changbin’s cock to leave only just enough leeway for the older to thrust forward. 

And thrusting forward he does, both of his hands grasping for Hyunjin’s ass as he begins bottoming out. 

“How’s that feel?” Hyunjin chokes out as he speaks while violently being rocked back and forth. 

“Good, so fucking good.” Changbin almost whimpers in reply, feeling like he’s chasing a new kind of desperation as he fucks into the tight grip of the other’s thighs. 

He picks up his pace, feeling his finale nearing, and curses and winces while continuously just pushing forward and forward, abusing the smooth area between Hyunjin’s thighs while the pre-come that leaks from his tip begins to mix in with the fragrant oil. “Fuck, this is crazy.” 

“Yeah?” Hyunjin laughs although it sounds a little pained since with every single one of Changbin’s thrusts, his slick cook slips past his sensitive hole first, making him shiver. “You like it, don't you? Using me like this.”

Changbin heartily nods, completely at the younger’s mercy while he’s the one that’s bent over and taking his dick like an absolute champ. “Love it, you’re so good. So good for me, Hyunjin.” 

Feeling pleased at his words, Hyunjin decides to reward the prosecutor by canting his legs over to the side ever so slightly, trapping his cock between his thighs just a tad tighter. 

It apparently hits the spot as Changbin soon lets out one last deep moan before he aggressively comes undone, effectively staining Hyunjin’s damp skin in the process. 

_°_

Changbin had originally shown up after the hearing to fulfill Hyunjin’s request of bringing him some food from outside of the hotel, having been successfully lured in after witnessing the younger’s flirting at court. He was but only a man after all. And thus as soon as he changed out of his stifling suit at home, he ventured on to visit a nearby convenience store and after that, a takeaway restaurant. Go ahead and call him an overpleaser.

Upon his arrival though, it instantly became clear that Hyunjin didn’t feel like eating as he was being dragged into the shower at the speed of light. 

But now, after the prosecutor dried his hair in the bathroom mirror and Hyunjin had dressed himself in a pair of shorts and a simple tee, he’s finally feeling hungry. 

He’s sitting on the bed while unpacking the food Changbin picked up from a little restaurant he frequently goes to himself. Lifting the plastic lid off of the packaging, his face contorts in a mask of disgust and disappointment. “There’s onions in here…”

Changbin hums a little distractedly while typing away at his phone, replying to a text he received from Seungmin regarding the case. “Hmm, so?”

“I don't like onions.” Hyunjin's voice calls softly. 

This causes Changbin to look up from his phone. “What? Who doesn't eat onions? They're literally what makes everything taste good.”

Hyunjin simply pulls a sour face, closing the lid again.

“I don't eat carrots or eggplant either.” He then says, leaving the takeaway bag for what it is to rummage through the groceries Changbin picked up from the corner store instead. “Did you bring anything I can eat?”

“Sure,” Changbin stuffs his phone away in his pocket and takes a seat next to the other. “I brought all kinds of yoghurt, ramen, kimbap and chips.”

“What the- this is a ton of food!” Hyunjin looks up from the bag and Changbin can only read his expression as extremely thankful before the younger wraps himself around him in a hug. “Thank you…”

When Hyunjin goes as far as to even leave a gentle peck at the corner of his mouth, Changbin smiles and he suddenly dares to be bold. Briefly, he raises his head to glance at the fluorescent numbers on the alarm clock over on the nightstand. “You know, I don’t have to go to work tomorrow.” 

Hyunjin lifts one of his brows. “Hm?”

Changbin licks at his lips because he’s really taking the leap here. “So, I mean I can stay? If you want of course.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hellooooo! hope you all liked this crazy long chapter, let me know if the timeline is hard to follow, basically if the date doesn't change but the location does it's all happening in the same day! bin and minho's investigation started in early february and the trial started in late july and it will take a couple of weeks. 
> 
> support is still very much appreciated! nd check out my other changjin fics too if u want (:
> 
> everyone hang in there!! im sending you all my love
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/dwaekkinoye)


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